


Antarctica Project

by Lilly_Bei_Stark



Category: Hellboy - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Manning is the bad guy, Post-Golden Army, Song Inspired, genetic experiments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 18:43:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8412481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilly_Bei_Stark/pseuds/Lilly_Bei_Stark
Summary: When the team quit, the BPRD needed to replace them. They unleashed a secret project. The Antarctica Project.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is a little odd plot bunny that has been cluttering up my head for ages. I couldn't think of a way to do it right until I read a few very inspirational fanfics by glitterfics (a favorite writer of mine). So, on with the John/Nuada that I have become completely snared by!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, I just want to play with them. Especially John. (Maniacal laughter rings in the background...) Also, the song I use it Skillet's Out of Hell. Look it up. It's very good. I also don't own it. I just listened to it while writing this and needed to use it, because I could imagine John hoping and waiting for Hellboy and the others to save him. 
> 
> Warnings: M/M, swearing, canon-typical violence
> 
> As always, ENJOY!

Abe and Nuala trailed through the Troll Market, hands linked, with interested eyes flitting between every booth. Hellboy and Nuada trailed behind, not talking, but hovering protectively. They had all come from the secret elven city via the underground tunnels in order to check out a nasty rumor. Someone had been breaking into the Troll Market; a human who didn't belong there. That human had been interrogating the variety of magical creatures at the market, some with force, about attacks in Queens. 

Normally a human in the Troll Market would wind up a red smear on the rock if he tried to interrogate anyone. Humans were mostly a _persona non grata_ in this place. The problem was, anyone who tried to take on the human ended up regretting it. It was like the human had superpowers. And while the emergence of some new super-powered wanna-be hero cleaning up the surface streets wouldn't normally warrant their attention, the BPRD logo emblazoned on the new guy's vest had drawn them in. 

Nuada, though he had tamed considerably since the Golden Army days and his subsequent return from death, wanted to just kick the ass of whoever this human was. The elf prince still held no love for humanity, especially when it was on his turf. 

So it hadn't taken them long to decide on an excursion to the market. Abe and Nuala were there in case any negotiating needed done. Hellboy and Nuada were there in case something needed pummeled. It was pretty easy covering all the bases. 

They started working their way through the market, from the underground entrances towards the door to the surface where a human would most likely come in. They weaved their way through the multitude of different creatures, staying away from the fish seller because he made Abe nervous with his heavy metal cleaver. The technology around them varied up the scenery, from sophisticated goblin tech and early industrial revolution metal works, to the plastic and metal human electronics. There was even a booth selling DVDs and candy, immediately catching Hellboy's attention until he realized there were no Baby Ruths.

It took them nearly an hour to get close to the surface exit, and they found the trip was a success when they stumbled upon the human they were looking for. 

A crowd had circled out around a twenty foot tall troll and a much smaller human. The man was short, only bulked up slightly by the motorcycle helmet and combat gear splashed with the BPRD logo. From the look of his opponent, he was about to become paste. The troll was as tall as a city bus was long, his head nearly brushing the roof of the cavern that they were in. He was muscled too, with biceps as big around as soccer balls, and a chest like a concrete slab.

Hellboy's instincts kicked in, urging him to help the little human and erasing the rumors he remembered about this particular human's battle conquests. He was only stopped by Nuada, the elf's pale hand settling over his clenched stone fist as he shook his head at the demon. 

"Just watch." Nuada said, barely talking loud enough to be heard over the clamoring around them. Hellboy scowled, looking over at Abe and Nuala for support. The two of them were no help at all, not even looking at him as they spoke into each other's ears too quietly for him to hear.

On some silent signal, the battle started. The troll roared loudly and swung his fist down at the small human. The ground cracked beneath the force of his punch as the human lept over it. Booted feet carried the black clad man up the troll's arm to his shoulder, where the human delivered an elbow to the creature's temple with a resounding CRACK. The troll bellowed, outraged and in pain. It grasped for its shoulder, catching only air again as the human lept back to the ground. He rolled when he hit the stone, popping back up to his feet, and shot forward to lodge his shoulder in one of the troll's legs. It went down on one knee. Both arms swung out, reaching for the human and almost catching hold of one of his legs, but the troll just wasn't fast enough. The agent caught onto the huge creature's head, kicked off of one of the troll's swinging arms, and pulled himself up onto the creature's bowed back. Then, with one final kick to the juncture of the troll's neck and shoulder, the human sent the creature tumbling down, unconscious. 

Hellboy watched the whole thing in shock, unable to believe that such a little guy had taken down a troll two stories tall. He stayed still, even when the human turned to look his way and sent the crowd around him skittering back. Only Abe, Nuala, and Nuada stayed beside him; everyone else trying to make themselves look innocuous or busy.

The human started over towards them, stopping a few feet away. It was impossible to tell which of them he was looking at, what with the helmet, but it seemed like he wasn't aiming to attack.

Nuada started to step forward, chin raised confidently, but stopped when his sister reached out and caught his hand. Nuala shook her head silently, willing him to stay put as Abe took the front of the group. Hellboy almost stepped forwards to cover his friend, until the sapien reached out and pulled the strange human into a hug. 

"What...?" Hellboy and Nuada said at the same time. They glanced at each other, then looked away with stubborn scowls on their faces. 

"It's so good to see you. Liz and I expected you to get in touch once you settled into your transfer, but we never heard from you again." Abe drew back, holding the man at arms length. The human's voice was muffled beneath the helmet as he chuckled humorlessly, but it sounded very familiar to Hellboy. The demon frowned, trying to place it. 

"We should talk, Abe. I'll tell you all about it." The human turned his head to look at Hellboy. "Red... How's Liz?" The voice asked. Hellboy's brow furrowed deeper. 

"She's fine. Pregnant. Who are you?" He questioned bluntly. He heard Abe sigh, but didn't take his amber eyes off the human. The helmet clad head shook. 

"I suppose that's not surprising. It's been over a year." The man reached up, taking his helmet in both hands and slowly lifting it up off his head. Chocolate eyes, brown hair, pale skin, and a very familiar face emerged from the covering, surprising Hellboy into silence. "What's the matter, HB? Cat got your tongue?" The agent smirked. 

"Myers...?" The demon choked out, even though he didn't need to question it. The face and the voice were all clearly that of his former handler, John T. Myers. A wry, half-smile came to the human's face.

"Gee, Red. It almost seems like you saw a ghost." The smile fell from his face, replaced by something darker behind the man's eyes. "Or is that just what you were hoping?" 

"What...no...what? Boyscout, no." Hellboy floundered, looking over at Abe for help. The sapien quickly stepped in. 

"John, why don't you come with us? Visit with Liz and I. We can give you an update on all that has happened while you were in Antarctica and...oh...." Abe trailed off, the way he always did when he saw something bad telepathically. He blinked and placed a hand on the agent's arm. "You can tell us about Antarctica if you feel up to it." He offered gently. John's mouth turned down in a serious frown.

"You shouldn't have seen that..." The human grimaced, then turned his head to look towards the door back up to the surface. "I suppose I could come with you... I'll tell Manning I'm following a lead." The agent gave Hellboy a commiserating look when he balked at the name. "I won't mention you guys. Don't worry."

"This is a bad idea." Nuada cut in, speaking up and reminding Hellboy that he was even there. "We should not bring a human to an elven city."

"I wondered when you were going to speak up." John crossed his arms, his helmet hanging from one hand. "You've only been glaring at me since the moment you saw me." He tilted his head. "Nuada, right?"

The elf narrowed his eyes at the human's familiar tone. "That is _Prince_ Nuada to you, human." He said, his voice so low and dangerous that it should have had John shaking in his boots. At least, it would have had that effect on the John that Hellboy remembered. This John seemed content to fix the prince with a bored stare. 

"Yeah, well _Prince_ Nuada, I have one thing to say to you." Hellboy clamped his mouth shut, not wanting to add to the tension that was suddenly so thick it could fill up the entire marketplace. "Thank you."

The group seemed to take a collective breath as Nuada's expression turned from severe to puzzled. "What?" The prince asked, his tone suspicious. John's mouth quirked into a small smile. 

"Oh don't get me wrong. I still want to hit you for trying to wipe out my entire race." He unfolded his arms and dropped his hands to his waist, still holding the motorcycle helmet loosely. "But fighting you wound up taking my friends away from the BPRD and Manning. They look happier." He motioned to Abe and Nuala. "That, at least, is a good thing."

"John..." Abe's voice conveyed just how sincerely touched he was by that statement and he gave the agent a genuine smile. John smiled back, though the expression faded when he looked at Nuada again.

"If you don't want me in your city, that's fine. But I have to find out what's killing people in Queens and without Abe, the information we have is slim to none. I'll have to keep asking people around here what they know until someone gives me something, and I will defend myself if someone attacks me." He glanced back at the troll, still unconscious on the ground. "I don't have much choice but to stick around the Troll Market."

Nuada glared at the human. He opened his mouth to speak, but once again Nuala put her hand on his arm and silenced him. "I see no reason why we cannot let Agent Myers into the city to spend some time with his friends. I sense a very pure heart in him, brother. He will not betray us." The princess stated sensibly. Her soothing voice seemed to calm the group, bringing back some measure of rationality. 

"Fine." Nuada growled, sending another glare in John's direction. "But if any other humans come into our city, it will be his fault and I will not hesitate to take recompense from his flesh."

"Oh goody." John drawled sarcastically, refusing to take any of Prince Nuada's shit. Hellboy snickered, more than approving of this new snarky John.

"Then it is decided. John will come with us to the city." Nuala took one of Abe's hands, receiving a smile from her love. John nodded, switching to hold the helmet in his other hand and reaching up to the radio clipped to his shoulder. 

"I'll tell them I'm following a lead and turn it off. Then we can go to this city that none of humanity knows about. It'll be fun." The agent grinned.

\------------------------------------

John used to get tired from all the running around that came with working at the BPRD. In the old days, the walk to the elven city would have worn him out, but now it just invigorated him. He spent the time chatting amiably with Abe, finding out about how his friend had brought two elves back from the dead, as they walked through the golden lit tunnels of the underground highway. Part of him wanted to watch in fascination as the different creatures; elves, trolls, centaurs, etc...., meandered down the tunnel around him, but the other part of him knew that it would be rude. So he kept his eyes on Abe and Nuala, his gaze sometimes straying to Nuada as the prince silently seethed behind them. The only one he didn't look at was Hellboy, because every time he did, he got angry. 

He didn't want to blame Hellboy. There was no way that the demon knew what the Antarctica Project was. John doubted that he had even heard of the Antarctica base in that context. He had probably just thought it was another branch of the bureau, like the one in Newark. Except, that wasn't what it was. 

John, along with several other agents that had been singled out by the bureau, had been sent to the science lab at the edge of the world. Not to protect it from the things that go bump in the night, but to be the human test subjects that would be illegal to keep in the good old USA. The BPRD wanted trained agents with combat skills to be genetically altered to combat the supernatural. As with the super soldiers in any form of fiction John had ever read, they had been modified and tested over and over again.The bureau wanted them to be better and better until it seemed like they would never be anything other than experiments.

Then, the miracle had happened. Hellboy and the others quit. The BPRD was finally desperate enough to unleash their super soldiers on the world. John and the others were shipped back to Newark to be tested out on the front lines.

That was the real reason that John had to thank Nuada. The prince didn't know it; probably would never know it, but he had set John and his fellows free. Almost a year of those experiments had come close to driving the agent mad. He knew that, if not for Nuada, he would have lost his mind. Either the isolation in his cramped cell, which they had the audacity to call a bedroom, or in one of the labs as he was pricked and sliced and zapped; he would have lost his mind.

Instead, he was free and he got to see his friends again. Not only that, but he got to see things like this...

The elven city was a concoction of old factory machinery, autumn colored nature, and white stone. Trees reached all the way up to strangely glowing stalactites and the buildings were carved from the rock itself. The achitecture was an ethereal mix of roman and renaissance that gave the place a feel of timelessness. 

John nearly stumbled to a stop until Hellboy bumped into him from behind. The demon chuckled, but John quickly got his feet going again. He looked over at Nuala and Abe, who looked completely at ease in their surroundings. He figured that he was only giving himself away by acting so awed and tried to school his face into an impassive mask like Nuada's. 

"It's pretty cool, ain't it Boyscout?" Hellboy leaned into to asked John quietly. The agent forced down an initial wave of bitterness; the voice in his head saying that Red had lost the right to talk to him like that, and nodded mutely. 

"We are in the buildings at the back." Abe turned his head to look at him. "How are your legs doing John? Red usually has to carry Liz the rest of the way."

"I'm fine." John answered quickly. He immediately sent a glare over his shoulder when he felt the air move, seeing Hellboy poised to pick him up and sling him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Don't you dare." He hissed. The demon's brows rose and John realized that he might have let a little too much anger out. He couldn't really help it. He _was_ angry with the demon, even though the rational part of his mind didn't want him to be. 

"Got it, Boyscout. Just not used to you being able to take so much punishment." Red shrugged. John let out a little scoff at that. Hellboy had no idea how much punishment he could actually take these days. 

"Don't worry about me. I can probably out run you these days." He said dismissively. He saw Abe shoot him a worried look from the corner of his eye, but determinedly ignored it.

They weaved their way between buildings, seeing a few stalls with colorful cloth awnings selling things . An elven child ran over to them at one point with a flower for Nuala, though she quickly hurried away when she met John's eyes. It hurt a little when the fear fell behind her eyes upon seeing that he was human. He felt guilty, not knowing entirely what had caused the child's fear, but able to believe that the humans had probably done something horrible to garner that reaction. Humans weren't even nice to each other, John was living proof of that. He could only imagine what they had done to other species in the past. 

Soon they managed to make it back to the building that the team had been living in. Hellboy was staring a hole through the back of John's head, probably wondering how the human wasn't even winded from what had likely been a ten mile walk. John ignored the stares as they slipped inside the building, whose lovely archways and oak doors made the agent feel like he was entering an elegant old monastery of some kind. They went through an entrance hall, a large atrium letting in the light of the glowing stalactites, and ended up in a comfortable looking living room.

Liz was seated in a soft chair, flipping through the pages of an art book with lots of greenery on the cover. When she saw the group, her face broke into a smile which promptly faded when she saw John. Shock replaced the happiness, then melted again into joy. 

"John?!" She struggled to get to her feet, her slight baby bump inhibiting her progress. John quickly crossed the room and leaned down to hug her in her chair. 

"Don't get up." He admonished, smiling to take the sting out of his words. "How are you, Liz?" The raven haired woman relaxed into her chair as John took a step back to look at her. Abe and Nuala moved to sit on a couch to one side; Hellboy took the arm chair behind him, and Nuada disappeared off into the house. John slowly moved to take a seat on the empty couch to Liz's left. 

"I'm good, aside from getting fat. When did you get back? How are you here?" The woman asked, still looking so shocked that she could be knocked over with a feather. 

John's accumulated tension started to melt off of him, the way it had always done with Liz. She had always been a good friend, even in the beginning when he was trying to quash his feelings for her. At one point she had reminded him of Lucy, his fiance from years ago, and that fact had both attracted him to her and caused said attraction to fizzle out. Ultimately, he had wanted with Liz what he had once had with Lucy, before they had started dating. He just wanted that deep and abiding friendship. He had gotten it, though, unfortunately, it had triggered Hellboy's jealousy and got him sent to his own personal Hell on Earth. 

Pushing away errant thought, John beamed at Liz. "I got back to the states about two weeks ago. I was chasing down leads in the Troll Market and-"

"That was you?! But the rumors said that the human in the Troll Market was taking down all kinds of supernatural creatures!" Liz's eyes went wide. John chuckled, relaxing back into the comfortable couch, feeling his muscles come unknotted.

"Yeah. That was me." He crossed his legs at the ankles. He was smugly proud, but also slightly ashamed. It wasn't strange that he would be attacked by any creatures that saw him as a threat. He was intruding on their space after all. Not only that, but he knew that he was getting painfully close to having to explain himself. He didn't really want to talk about Antarctica, despite telling Abe that he would explain later. Still, he knew that he wasn't likely to escape it. Abe had read something bad from his head earlier, in spite of the psychic shields he had tried to erect around his mind, and the sapien wouldn't likely just let it go.

"How?" Liz inquired, sealing his fate. John crossed his arms and bowed his head, a little defeated that he would have to discuss this. 

"I've had a few...upgrades." He pursed his lips, seeing the others tune into the conversation.

"John, you don't have to." Abe offered, getting a confused look from Liz. The agent's eyes swept around over his friends. Curiosity was bared on most of them, though Abe and Nuala's expressions were tinged with understanding. John wondered if the princess had been able to read him as well. He really hoped not. Maybe she only saw what was in Abe's mind. He knew she had some psyching abilities based on the reports the BPRD had on the Golden Army incident, but to what extent was unclear. 

A sigh pushed out of John's lips, contorting them in a self deprecating smile. "No. I do have to. The only people left who care about me are in this room. I owe you an explanation for not trying to call or message you guys." The words came from deep in his mind, where his subconscious was already working through the intricacies of this situation. Liz's face wrinkled in worry. Abe might have been worried too, but his face took a little more effort to read and John found his eyes quickly becoming glued to the carpet in the middle of the room. 

"If you wish to talk then we are happy to listen." Abe assured him. John took a deep breath, gripping his own arms tightly, and started to let the story spill out.

"Project Antarctica wasn't like the Newark division. It was a handful of scientists, a small army of guards, and about ten of us transferred agents. Our title pretty quickly changed from agents to experiments. The BPRD was working on the new answer to the 'supernatural threat'. Agents that were engineered to be faster and stronger. We were put in cells when they weren't running tests on us and the rest of the time we were either strapped down to examination tables or being run through an obstacle course." He paused for breath, glancing up to see the horrified expressions on his friends' faces. Even Hellboy, who John hadn't expected to care, looked like he was ready to go down to the labs and beat everyone there to a pulp. It made him smile, though it was fleeting. "They spliced each of our DNA with different things. I don't know everything that they put into my genes, but I know there's some cat and a little shark. The shark helps me stay awake long periods and give me a bit of a vicious streak when I'm fighting. The cat helps my balance and agility. I'm not sure what it is that upped my strength, but...well, most of you saw what I can do." He grinned, remembering the fight with the troll from earlier. 

"What? Wait, I didn't get to see. What did you do?" Liz interrupted.

"He took down a two story tall troll." Hellboy chimed in. He looked a little stunned. John felt inordinately proud that he had surprised his childhood hero with his strength. He turned to look at Liz, expecting a similar look of shock, and flinched at the glare she was throwing his way. 

"You fought a giant troll like that all by yourself? Are you crazy?" She snapped. John realized that he must have tripped some protective instinct because she looked like an angry mother hen. 

"Um... It wasn't a big deal. He went down in a few hits." He tried to explain. 

"No. John T. Myers, you know better. There is such a thing as back-up for a reason!" She shook a finger at him, scolding him like a child. John had the good sense to try and look chastised, rather than incense her further. 

"Okay. Okay. I should have called for back-up. It's okay, though. I didn't get hurt." He held up his hands in defeat.

"Yeah, about that." Hellboy cut in, drawing John's attention back to him. "How the hell did you not break your arm on that troll's skull. I've punched a troll. You should have busted your elbow." 

The agent shrugged. "Elbow pads in the uniform. Polyethylene plates in a para-aramid textile." He poked at the elbow of his uniform and barely even felt it. "It's good for stopping a bullet, or a troll." He shrugged.

"I'm amazed that Director Manning would allow you out on your own. Isn't he afraid of you getting hurt? Why doesn't he send some of the other agents?" Abe frowned and his gills gave a little flair. John shrugged. 

"That's easy. There aren't many agents left. When you guys quit, so did a lot of the other agents. They knew that Red was the powerhouse that got them through most of the adversity we'd faced. Without anyone there that could fit that role, the agents decided that their jobs had gotten a lot more dangerous. There's only a few left, and only the ten of us enhanced agents." He explained. "There aren't enough of us to spare for all the jobs we have piled up. Actually, I've been awake for about four days at this point, just trying to tack down every lead I could on this latest job." 

At the thought of how long he'd been up, John was unable to suppress a sudden yawn. He hid the action behind his hand, trying to be polite and not leave his mouth hanging open at everyone. When he opened his eyes, Liz was gawking at him. He watched as she visibly shook herself and adopted a stern expression. 

"You should stay the night. The trip back would take a couple of hours, which you could be spending sleeping." She told him, her tone brokering no argument. John raised an eyebrow at her. 

"I don't know if that is a good idea. Manning doesn't like letting his enhanced puppets off the leash for too long."

"Manning can go fuck himself." Hellboy chimed in. John looked between him and Liz. Both of them looked determined. Helpless, he looked at Abe. 

"I think it is a good idea, John." The sapien added, giving him a small smile. The agent sensed that if he still refused, one of his friends might still try to enforce this new ruling. He gave in. 

"All right."

"Good." Liz smirked at him. John felt like he had returned to the old days, before he was someone's science project, when Liz would goad him into doing something he might not have tried otherwise. He had never regretted it then, so maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad. 

\------------------------------

Nightmares jarred him awake sometime around two in the morning. John came up into a sitting position, panting hard and grasping at the bed beside him for his cell phone to light the darkness. When it came on it illuminated an unfamiliar, but beautiful room, and John remembered where he was. Memories of the Antarctica lab were slowly pushed back to the fringe of his consciousness; never really gone. 

With his heart still pounding too loudly to return to any decent form of sleep, he forced himself out of the comfortable warmth of the bed. He walked towards the balcony that branched off his room, where he could still see some twinkling lights, despite the fact that the glowing stalactites outside had darkened earlier in the night. Some of the windows out in the city were lit by soft glows, making the city look even more beautiful as the lights cast all manner of gleam and shadow over the graceful shapes of the architecture. 

John leaned forwards on the carved railing of the balcony. His eyes picked up every detail of the scene before him, now that his night vision was enhanced. Following the lines of every shape gave him something to think about instead of his memories. It helped him quash the irrational desire to go find Hellboy and stick to him like glue.

That was another thing that his time in Antarctica had left him with. When he had been stuck in a cold cell, or strapped down to a lab table while people injected him with things that burned or lit him up in agony, John had wished with every fiber of his being for his friends to save him. He had seen Hellboy save so many lives, so why couldn't his childhood hero come and save him? And when the demon never showed, John had slowly started to lose faith in anything. His friends wouldn't save him, his government had put him here in the first place, his family was all dead and gone. No one was coming for him.

John blinked away the tears gathering in his eyes at the thoughts, reminding himself that he was out of there now. He might not be _free_ exactly, but he wasn't in the labs.

A little masochistic urge prompted him to return to the bedroom for his phone. He picked it up, checking the battery, then opened the music app. When he had gotten back to the States, he had heard a song on the radio that felt painfully close to his thoughts from when he was in the lab. The song stuck with him, playing on a loop in his head until he bought it. Now, from time to time, he played it. It made him feel better and worse at the same time. Scrolling through the songs list, he found what he was looking for an opened it. As it played, John closed his eyes and started to sing along quietly. 

" _Can you hear me screaming for you? I'm afraid I'm gonna die down here. I can't save, I can't save myself. Get me out, get me out of Hell. I'm suffocating waiting for you. Cause the angels don't fly down here. I need you because no one else... Can get me out, get me out of Hell._ "

A sound off to his right silenced John's singing. He looked over, seeing Nuada on the adjoining balcony. The elf didn't appear to be paying any attention to him at first glace, but John inferred from the tilt of his head that he _was_ listening. He let the song continue to play to its end, watching the prince. When the music began to taper off, Nuada turned to look the agent in the eye. Without breaking eye contact, John swiped a thumb over his phone to turn off the music app. He shoved the phone into the pocket of the pants he'd worn to bed in case he needed to hurry out during the night. Nuada watched him for another lingering moment, then hopped across the small divide into John's balcony. 

"Why do you stare at me, human?" The elf asked. His face was as impassive as ever, so John had a hard time telling if he was angry or not. He decided to stick with the flippant tone he had been using as a defense mechanism ever since he got out of the labs. 

"Just surprised anyone else was up." He leaned his back against the railing. Nuada's eyes scanned his face, probably reading a lot more from him than John was comfortable with. 

"...That is _not_ your only reason." He replied. The agent raised a brow at him. 

"Okay, but it's the only one you're getting; as I'm not in the habit of making an ass of myself." He replied easily. The corners of the prince's lips seemed to twitch, but John dismissed it as a trick of the light. 

"Fair enough." 

A silence grew between them, though not an uncomfortable one. John took the chance to really look at the elf. He was very attractive. Golden eyes, white-gold hair, and pale skin covering what had to be pure muscle. The prince's shirt was off, leaving him only in a pair of soft pants, and John really appreciated the view. If not for the scowl that he usually wore, Nuada would probably be the hottest male John had ever met.

It was probably time to address that scowl though. "So tell me what the humans did to the elves." He said, breaking the growing silence. Nuada frowned. 

"Excuse me?"

"What horrible thing did the humans do to the elves? We must have done something to make you want to kill us all." John waved a hand absently. Puzzled creases appeared around the elf prince's eyes and, really, it should not have been adorable. Nothing about the deadly Nuada should be classified as adorable, but the thought was there, dancing across John's errant brain. 

"....You slaughtered many of my kin in your greed to take up every corner of this world." The prince stated, crossing his arms over his chest. John saw something flit across his eyes; a lingering hurt that he wished he could take away. 

"I guess not much has changed."

"This does not surprise you?" Nuada's golden gaze stuck on him and John felt like he was taking a supernatural lie detector test all of the sudden. Well, if that was the case, then he would just answer honestly. 

"No, not really. Humans aren't even nice to each other. I've learned that lesson the hard way." The agent fought the urge to run his hand over the numerous needle track marks going up and down his arm. His inner arm looked like that of a drug addict, all because of the scars he'd accumulated before the scientists got the advanced healing down and made scars a thing of the past. 

"Hmm..." Nuada tilted his head. "Yes, I suppose you barely classify as human anymore." John tried not to balk at that by focusing on what it meant. Nuada must have heard what he'd told the others earlier about the genetic experiments. Or perhaps he knew because Nuala knew. John vaguely remembered that the two of them had some kind of telepathic link.

"Gee, you sure know how to make a guy feel special." He responded sarcastically, hiding how much the comment had stung beneath a thin veneer of humor. 

"....Did I not? You are not like the whole of your tainted race. It is a compliment."

"From you? Actually, yeah. I guess I can see that." He looked out over the city, then back at Nuada. "Are you gonna try and kill all humans again? Because if so, we might be about to have a problem." John tried not to let on how disappointed the idea made him. He didn't really want to hurt Nuada, spar with him, sure, but not hurt him. Especially not if the human race had incurred his wrath through their old stablemate of violence against anyone different. But it was his job to protect humanity. A job that he had come to willingly and one that he believed in. For all the bad in humans, there was still good. People like his uncle. John would fight for them, even if greedy, horrible humans had hurt him in the past. 

Nuada seemed to contemplate the idea, leaning back against the wall, opposite of where John was leaning. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion. "...I have grown weary of fighting a battle with your diseased and oblivious race. It put a strain on my life and the life of my sister that need not be there. I will simply wait for you to destroy yourselves, instead of wasting my time." He sounded tired as he spoke, like he had tried everything before and knew that all paths led back here. John smiled sympathetically. 

"Okay then. If we had drinks, I'd toast to human entropy. Unfortunately, it's just us and the night." He set his hands back on the railing behind him with a little huff of laughter. 

"....I have some elven wine in my room." Nuada stated, his tone almost friendly. John raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. 

"Are you propositioning me? Please say yes." He teased. The elf narrowed his eyes at him. 

"Do you wish to drink or not?"

John laughed, amused despite the glare he was getting. "Thanks, but no thanks. I need to be gone before someone tries to convince me to stay longer. Best not to be drunk if I'm gonna make that happen."

Nuada's glare eased off. "As you wish."

"But thanks. Sincerely. Thank you." 

\------------------------------------

John was back and forth between the Troll Market after that. He ran into Nuada on eleven of the twelve visits, sharing sarcastic comments back and forth. John figured he was being a general annoyance, but Nuada had started to seem like he was enjoying himself. This time, he was back and he had a picture of the thing from Queens, taken by a brave kid on his smartphone. It was mostly human shaped, taking the form of a beautiful woman, but with the addition of batlike wings, small curling horns, and a pair of sharp canine teeth. John had a hunch about what she was, given the look of her and the fact that her victims all looked like dry corn husk mummies after she was done with them. He was pretty confident that he could take her on, but Manning was demanding that he find out what she was for sure first. It would have seemed like he actually gave a shit about John's safety, if not for his not-so-subtle grumbling about the cost of _making_ agents like John. 

So, it was back to the Troll Market. He didn't think his job would be too difficult this time. Surely someone would give him an identification of the creature quickly so he could leave. He expected the trip to take _maybe_ an hour, max. That was why, three hours into his trip, he was spoiling for a fight and wishing someone would attack him. His shoulders knotted with tension the deeper he went into the market. It seemed like everyone was content to watch him suspiciously this time around, rather than risk taking him on, and he was fairly disappointed by that. 

He rounded the corner of a stall, contemplating whether or not he should just give up and tell Manning that he had gotten the information they needed, and bumped squarely into a solid wall of muscle. John took a quick step back, half wanting to apologize and half excited that he might have triggered a fight, only to recognize the person he had run into. 

"Oh. Hi Nuada." He smiled beneath his helmet. The prince narrowed his eyes at the human, mouth twisting down into a frown. 

"I have already told you to address me by my title, human." The elf reprimanded him without much annoyance in his tone. John's smile grew. 

"I know. It's just more fun to irk you." He replied carelessly. Then he remembered the picture he was carrying and raised it up before the prince could speak again. "Hey, is this lady a succubus? She's the one that's been killing people in Queens and I need a positive ID before Manning will let me confront her." 

Nuada's eyes flicked over the picture before snapping back to John. "And why should I help you?" 

John was grinning irrepressibly by this point. There was something about Nuada that just made him happy. Maybe it was their night-time discussion over a week ago or maybe it was just a thrill of prodding the dangerous prince towards snapping, but John was overjoyed to have another chance to talk to him. "I'll owe you a favor?"

"What could I possibly need from you, human?" The elf countered smoothly. It was then that John noticed what was going on around them. The patrons of the market were all slowly creeping away from the two of them, as if preparing for another fight to take place. It made John wonder, not for the first time, what fighting Nuada would be like. Probably fun. Ever since his enhancements, John had been craving a strong opponent. It might be the shark in his DNA or just a bi-product of becoming stronger than most of his enemies, but the thought of fighting with Nuada excited him in a way that it really shouldn't. 

"I don't know what you'd _need_ , but you could probably think of something if you tried." He was tempted to add another, more salacious comment into the mix. He just couldn't quite bring himself to do it, his upbringing rearing its head to shut him up before he dug himself in a hole too deep to get out of. Then again, maybe he didn't need to make another comment. Nuada was looking at him contemplatively, with a devious gleam in his eye. Of course, there was a greater chance that he planned something unpleasant for John. 

"I accept this bargain, human. Yes, that creature in your photo is a succubus."

"It's John."

"No, it is a succubus."

John fought the urge to stick his tongue out at the elf, despite his helmet hiding his face. "You're being purposely obtuse now." He slipped the photo into his pocket. "My name. It's John. You could use it instead of calling me 'human' all the time."

"Yes. I _could_." The prince smirked at him. John's mouth quirked up in a smile.

"You're not going to, are you?"

"Good day, human." Nuada turned, casting a parting wave in his direction as he began to walk away. John laughed. Nuada was really entertaining. 

\------------------------------------

The succubus had friends. John hadn't counted on that. When he finally tracked her down to her lair, on the top floor of a condemned building, he found four other demons waiting for him there. Three succubi and an incubus were lounging around on garbage looking couches as the succubus that John had been tracking came walking into the room. The old part of him coaxed him to call for back-up. The new part, the louder part, decorated his face with a crazy grin and spurred him into action. 

The first succubus flinched and hissed as he popped out and peppered her back with his special holy water dipped bullets. Her shriek brought the others in the room to their feet in an instant. One of the succubi ran at him, her fingers sharpening into claws as she slashed at him. John ducked beneath the swipe, lunging forwards to slam his shoulder into her stomach. He twisted, firing up into her jaw with his gun. She crumpled over his back and slid off, smearing blackish blood over his combat gear. He silently hoped that the gear was washable. 

The next succubus began to approach him slowly, chanting soft words. John couldn't hear them clearly, but he was pretty sure that it was Latin and not English. A fog started to fall over his mind. He shook his head to clear it. It didn't work. The fog was surrounding him, getting into his eyes and making them bleary. It was cloying and hot. He aimed his gun where he remembered the succubus to be and fired. There was a hiss, too close to him now. He adjusted his aim, trying to find her head through the mire in his own. Another shot popped off. The fog snapped away, leaving his vision clear and his lungs screaming for fresh air. He didn't remember holding his breath, but he had other things to worry about now. 

The incubus grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall. Its electric blue eyes bored into him. Something hypnotic in those eyes made him drop his gun, even as the sane part of his brain screamed at him to fire. The incubus ran a hand up to his helmet, peeling it off of his head. It dropped the helmet to the floor, then placed a hand on his cheek and John felt the chemical reaction on contact. There was something in the demon's skin. It made his own flesh tingle and sent a wave of arousal flooding through him. 

He thought of Nuada. Something about the sensation racing through his veins conjured up the memory of the prince. John's mind was too cloudy to contemplate why. 

Then the touch was gone. The incubus looked down, causing John's gaze to follow, and they both saw the tip of a silver blade protruding through his chest. The blade stopped just short of reaching the agent's ballistic vest, covered in black blood. Suddenly, the incubus was sliding away, releasing John from its grip. The agent looked up to see who had attacked his opponent. 

There stood Nuada, like an angel of death, a few feet away with a silver spear in his hand and the bodies of the other succubi at his feet. He had never looked more in his element, with his armor shining in the dull light and his black and red clothes providing a stark contrast to the white walls around them. 

John blinked at him, still lost under waves of heat and arousal, confused as to why the elf was even there. Before he could make his mouth form the words to ask, his knees were buckling. 

Nuada was there, catching him before he could hit the ground. The prince's cool hand came up to touch his face, golden eyes piercing him. 

"You were foolish to come here alone." The elf told him, his tone full of disdain. John chuckled, still somehow amused by the prince, even though his brain felt too muddy for any thought besides how hot his own body was. He leaned his head into the cooler touch of Nuada's hand and closed his eyes. 

\--------------------------------------

He woke with a start. He had been dreaming about Antarctica again. It took a moment of panting for him to banish the vision, resolving his surroundings into a strangely decrepit looking room. He was laid back on a couch that looked like it had been taken off the street. The ceiling above him was flaking and in some places, it was gone entirely. It was then that he realized that his helmet wasn't on; a revelation that triggered all kinds of others. He remembered the fight with the demons, starting to lose that fight, and then Nuada. 

He sat up, looking around the room for the elf prince. He half expected that Nuada would have left, so he was surprised to see him sitting a few feet away on the other couch. The prince was polishing his beautiful silver spear with a black rag. He seemed oblivious to the human sitting so close to him, but John knew that was just a facade. The agent watched him, his simple movements back and forth, until his mind cleared enough to offer up a question. 

"You followed me...?" He asked at last. Nuada laid his spear across his lap and it started to shrink, becoming a large dagger that was no less elegant than before. He folded up his polishing cloth before looking over at John. 

"It was good that I did. You were nearly killed." The prince answered, voice full of derision. The agent almost fell for the whole human-hating-elf schtick, but remembered that the only reason for Nuada to be here was to protect him. Or to protect the demons, but the bodies on the floor disproved that theory. So it was to protect him. The prince wanted to keep him safe. 

"You _like_ me." John teased, wholeheartedly amused by the exaggerated grimace that the elf pulled. 

"....You are not abhorrent to me." He conceded. John was sure that was high praise considering who was saying it. His face lit up with happiness. 

"Aww. I like you too." He reached up to rub his cheek, which felt greasy after the encounter with the incubus. He was pretty sure that he had been laying on that cheek and attracted loose fuzzy bits from the couch to stick there. It made him want a shower. 

Nuada was silent for a long moment, then raised a long, black strip up for John to see. It was a thick band of sturdy cloth that cut a dark line over the elf's pale flesh. When he saw the lock mechanism dangling from one end, John felt a wave of recognition and nausea. 

"I also took this off of you while you slept." Nuada stated, glancing down at the collar with scorn. John's eyes widened. 

"How did you... That's impossible!" He reached up to grope for his neck. Sure enough, there was no longer a raised ridge beneath the neck of his black shirt. His collar was gone and, apparently, it hadn't gone off. 

"I am a little disappointed that you would bring an explosive device into my city." Nuada's voice was tinged with disapproval, and maybe even a little sadness. John instantly felt guilty. He didn't want the elf thinking he had betrayed his trust, even if that might have been the case. A little bit. Not by his own wanting to though. 

"I wouldn't have gone near my friends; especially Liz, if I thought that it would go off. I was in my time and distance limit. Manning wouldn't detonate me." He explained quickly. His eyes were stuck on the hated collar. As happy as he was to have it gone, he was ashamed to have anyone discover it in the first place. He was a super soldier. He should have been able to get free of a piece of technology. 

"You think." Nuada raised a brow at him slowly. John had to appreciate the finesse of having his entire explanation countered in only two words. It was true. He had assured himself it was safe, partly out of desperation and desire to see his friends again, but he really had no guarantee that Manning wouldn't pop his seal of freshness just for straying too far from the leash. 

"....Well I hope. We were pretty expensive to make." And money was about the only thing Manning cared about. That and keeping the supernaturals off his playground. 

"All of your comrades wear these collars?" He twisted the piece of tech in his hands. John could see the insides at this angle. Four electric wires and two steel wires. All four electrical wires had to be cut at once and with the steel wires placed in such a way that made that task impossible, John had never expected to be free of his collar. He rubbed his neck a little self-consciously. 

"It's the way they control us. After what they did to us, who would want to keep working for them otherwise?" He twisted to drop his legs over the side of the couch, looking at the dusty floor. 

"....Then you are free now." Nuada said matter-of-factly. His golden eyes pierced John, making the agent's heart thump painfully. 

"Seems that way..." He thought about running away. Getting far enough away from the BPRD that they could never catch him again. Part of him wanted to disappear. Part of him wanted to stay nearby so that he could see his friends again, this time without endangering them. The rest of him remembered Antarctica again. He heard the other agents-turned-experiments in his head; screaming and praying to a god that _clearly_ wasn't listening. They were still stuck being Manning's puppets. "I can't just leave, though."

"And why not?"

John looked Nuada in the eye, not trying to hide the baleful echo in his own gaze. "Because, like you said, the others still wear the collars. I can't abandon them." The prince frowned slowly, looking uncomfortable at the stare he was getting. 

"You will only get yourself collared again." He crossed his arms over his chest.

John thought about that for a moment."Unless you help me." He tilted his head, his eyes flitting down to the cut collar still in Nuada's closed fist. He knew that he needed Nuada for this. The elf was the only one that could cut through the collar wires like that.

"For another favor, I suppose?"

John grinned at him, sensing the conversation start to turn his way. "I'm sure we can think of something that I can do for you." Just barely keeping the flirtatious tone from his voice. 

Nuada's eyes narrowed. "You seem certain of yourself."

"Not even slightly." John replied with a bark of laughter. He wished he was as steady on his feet with Nuada as he acted. His conversations with Nuada required a lot of overconfident behavior that he didn't necessarily feel. Of course, that didn't mean he said anything that wasn't really true. He would be more than happy to follow through on some of the fighting or flirting if the prince decided to show any interest in it. 

Nuada's lips twisted in a slow, wry smile. "You are abnormally honest for your species." He stated appreciatively. 

"Thanks...?" John raised a curious brow at him. 

"I will assist your mission. But you must do something for me."

"Yeah, I thought we covered that." John put in, unable to keep the smart-ass comments to a minimum. Nuada gave him a smirk that promised either something very good over very bad, John couldn't decide. 

"You will return with me to the elven city when we are finished." The agent blinked at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never came.

"...is that it?"

"I will reveal more in time." Nuada rose to his feet, tossing the now useless collar over into the corner of the room. He raised his chin at John, looking like he was waiting for a protest. John chuckled. 

"All right. I'll trust you." He pushed himself up to his feet. Nuada raised his eyebrows at him. 

"You seem to do that already. Perplexingly." The elf pointed out. John shrugged his shoulders. 

"Yeah... Not sure why, but I just don't feel like you'd hurt me. Maybe it has something to do with you saving my ass today."

"You expect me to believe that this is a new occurrence?"

John smirked at him. "Maybe."

Nuada's expression went from puzzled to begrudgingly amused. "You are a very strange human."

\-------------------------------------

They got a car when they left the abandoned building. It was reasonably fast and had only been two streets away from where they started, meaning it was perfect. John had carefully boosted the vehicle, relying more on his knowledge of cars from working in his uncle's garage than any training he'd gotten as an agent. With that, they drove to the BPRD. Nuada was amusingly uncomfortable in the vehicle, which John struggled not to laugh at. They parked a few blocks away from the BPRD building, knowing that otherwise they would be caught on the cameras. From that point on, he and Nuada snuck up on the building and slipped inside. Guards were knocked out at John's behest, which the elf prince seemed abnormally okay with. 

When they reached the internal security gate (which existed purely because of Nuada's raid on the BPRD the last time he had been there), with two guards inconveniently looking at each other, Nuada left John on one side and vanished into thin air. John didn't have time to get over his shock when he saw Nuada appear behind the other guard. Before the alarm could be sounded, both John and Nuada lept forwards and knocked out their respective guards. The agent looked at his downed coworkers and said a silent apology before looking back up when the prince returned to his side. 

"That little teleportation trick was pretty nifty." John whispered with a grin. 

"Nifty?" Nuada rolled his eyes.

"What? It's a word." The agent protested. He started towards the enhanced agent's rooms, catching a glimpse of Nuada's smirk before he turned. 

They made their way to the first of the rooms. John looked at the key pad beside the door. He had seen almost all of the other enhanced agent's codes in passing. He just had to remember which code went to which door. It took him a few seconds to figure it out, but luckily he'd always had a pretty good memory. He typed in the code and let them into the room.

The agent laying in his bed looked similar to John. Brown hair, light colored skin, and a slight build. John had introduced himself to Marty first when the enhanced agents were allowed to mingle, as Marty had looked the least intimidating of the bunch. He liked the other agent and it brought a smile to his face that he was helping to free him. 

John stepped aside to let Nuada into the room. The prince strode efficiently over to the sleeping agent. His silver lance was in its dagger form, held surely in his hand. With a swish the collar fell open around the man's throat, freeing him. Nuada silently moved aside to let John do the rest. 

Gently shaking Marty by the shoulder, John woke the other man. Sleepy hazel eyes snapped open. Immediately, the man grabbed at John, primed for an attack. John let himself be manhandled, even though it made Nuada take a step towards them. The agent waved the prince off, speaking soothingly to his fellow enhanced. 

"Easy! Easy, Marty. It's me." He coaxed. The grip on his arms loosened slightly. 

"Myers?" Marty frowned at him. 

"Yeah." John flashed a gentle smile. The hands on him withdrew. Marty's eyes flicked up to look at Nuada's looming figure. 

"Who's the pale guy?"

John chuckled, sensing Nuada's grimace at the words without even turning to look at him. "He's a friend. He cut your collar off. We came to get everyone out." He explained. 

"What...how?!" Marty grasped at his own neck in shock, his expression a mix of horror and joy when he found nothing there. 

"I'll explain later. Just go out through the front. The guards are knocked out. We'll meet up later; after we get everyone else out." John straightened, letting Marty have enough room to rise from bed. The man moved to the locker by the end of his bed and pulled out bits and pieces of his tactical gear. 

"Where?" 

John's eyes widened and he looked at Nuada. He hadn't thought about where they could all meet. He hadn't even thought beyond 'get everyone out'. Nuada answered for him. 

"The Troll Market entrance." 

Shock rippled through John like a cannon blast. "Really? What about your hatred of humans?"

Nuada shook his head at the agent. "These agents differ from the beings I hate. We will provide them temporary shelter... They have a chance to prove themselves better than the other humans at this place." His expression seemed to emphasize the unspoken decree that this was a _trial run_ and he would not hesitate to go back to hatred if they couldn't behave themselves. Of course, how well he was expecting them to behave was pretty unclear, as he still seemed to tolerate John's smart ass tendencies. 

The agent grinned and turned back to Marty. "Okay then. You heard the guy." The man nodded at him, pulling a pair of pants on over his boxers. Nuada and John started to turn towards the door so they could get to the next person. 

"Hey," Marty said, getting their attention again, "if you're going to help the others, you should know Jackson and Casey won't be easy. You're not gonna catch them in their sleep, no matter how quiet you are." His expression was severe as he delivered the warning; like he was expecting a fight. John gave a one shoulder shrug. 

"We'll just have to deal with them when we get there."

And deal with them they would. The next six people went by without a hitch, although Molly had nearly thrown her lamp at them when John woke her. Finally they were left with the last two, which, luckily or unluckily, they found in the same room. It was clear when they opened the door that the pair hadn't been expecting company. Both were naked, perched as if they were interrupted, and had their guns trained on John the instant he walked into the room. 

"Easy! Relax! Not a threat!" John raised his hands up non-threateningly, elbowing Nuada to do the same. The elf simply raised a brow at him and ignored the action. 

"You expect us to believe that with Mr. Tall-n-Broody behind you holding that spear?" The shorter of the two, Carey, asked. His blue eyes were narrowed suspiciously. John glanced behind him to see that Nuada's lance had indeed extended to its full size, and it was looking more than threatening enough to account for the other men's nerves. He scowled at the prince before looking back at the other enhanced and patting the air placatingly. 

"We came to get your collars off. I swear. He can cut them off without tripping them. He's on our side."

The taller man, Jackson, raised an eyebrow at them, an action that was almost obscured beneath his mop of raven hair. He was propped up on one elbow from where he had been laying on his back, but his aim didn't so much as waver when he spoke. "How do we know that this isn't Manning's attempt to off us? With the collar on you, you're his puppet, Myers."

John slowly reached up to the neck of his shirt and pulled it down to reveal his bare neck. "No collar there anymore. I told you, Nuada can-"

"Nuada? As in Prince Nuada; the guy who tried to off humanity?!" Casey asked incredulously. He was looking at John as if he had grown a second head. The agent cringed internally, a little surprised that anyone else had read up on the cases that went on before they returned to Newark.

"Well...kind of, but he's doing me a favor and he won't-" Casey cut him off again. 

"A favor?" He sneered. "What, is he your _boyfriend_ now? Why would he do a favor for you?" The man's expression was still completely disbelieving. John was afraid that they might not make any headway with these two before daybreak. 

"Well, no. He's not really-"

"Perhaps." Nuada cut him off this time, his expression contemplative. John's heart misfired and he turned a shocked face towards the elf.

"Wait, what?"

Nuada remained impassive, looking almost bored. "We shall discuss what you owe me later, John Myers. For now..." And before John had time to get over the shock of Nuada finally using his name instead of 'human', the elf raised his arm. Neither Jackson nor Casey saw the movement, despite all of their enhancements, until their collars laid in strips upon the floor. Jackson reached up to grope his neck, eyes wide, and Casey stared down at the cut up collars.

"How did you...?" Casey began.

A little red light on one of the collars suddenly blinked on. 

"Shit!" Jackson cursed, lurching up to grab Casey around the waist and running for the door. John and Nuada rushed out, letting them through before John turned back and slammed the door of the room shut. A blast flared inside the room, knocking the door lose of its hinges and sending them to the floor from the shock wave. Casey fell into Jackson, spilling them both on the linoleum, and John fell into the ever-sturdy Nuada, who didn't even budge. 

A familiar voice came from the hall to their left. "Dammit! You missed! How could you miss a chance like that?!" John definitely knew that voice. Manning. 

The four of them straightened and turned to look at the balding director. His face was red with anger, beady eyes watching them; full of hate. He was flanked on both sides with agents in tactical gear. Their guns were pointed at the floor, but still out and ready to be used.

"Shit." John cursed. "Why aren't you in bed somewhere?"

Manning sneered derisively at them. "We saw you idiots on the security cameras from the freaks' rooms." 

John's hands curled into fists. He settled his body into a fighting stance, ready to bite and claw his way out if necessary. The notion was somewhat dampened when the tac-team's gun raised level with his and the others' heads. Manning shook his head at the small group. 

"You know what? I don't care how expensive you were anymore." He motioned with his hands to the tac-team. "Shoot them!"

John didn't have time to react. He saw fingers tightening on triggers and then they were suddenly somewhere else. He realized with a lurch that Nuada must have done that teleporting thing, because they were in a different hallway. 

"Where...are we...?" He blinked repeatedly, trying to reconcile the change in his head.

"What happened?" Casey asked.

"I transported us closer to the exit, but this was all the distance I could get with the three of you in tow." Nuada explained. John felt the prince's hand leave where it had been clenched in his shirt. He straightened up, glancing around and straining to listen for danger coming from any of the other halls. 

"Right. So, we're meeting the others at the Troll Market. We should split up and head there independently. Give them more to chase." He started towards the direction of the exit. The others began to follow him. Casey came up at his side, apparently totally confident in his nudity as he walked through the halls. 

"But Manning said he saw us on the cameras. He might know where you said you were meeting the others."

John stopped, eyes widening. Panic set in at the idea of the BPRD ambushing his fellow enhanced before they could get away from their grasp. "Shit. No." He breathed, turning his horrified eyes to Nuada. The elf reached out and grasped the back of his neck. His hand squeezed softly, drawing him into the prince's chest. 

"Hush. We will get behind the market doors and change the lock. The humans will not be able to get in." He said soothingly into the agent's ear. John started to relax at the closeness, despite not knowing why exactly the prince was comforting him now. 

"If they beat us there-"

"They will not if we hurry."

John nodded, drawing back. He looked at Casey and Jackson, receiving affirmative nods from them. Collectedly, they all turned towards the exit and hurried out.

Once outside, Jackson and Casey ran towards the parking lot. John and Nuada branched off, running through the deserted streets towards where they had parked their car. When they reached the vehicle and slid inside, he started towards the market. He sped through the streets, going illegally fast until he reached the more crowded roads. 

"I should've checked for cameras. I should've..." He trailed off, not even sure what else he could have done to prevent the security from seeing them. 

"John." Nuada's voice was slightly disapproving; though in a way that made it clear that what he didn't approve of was John's self-deprecating attitude. It calmed the agent minutely. 

"I know I'm overreacting, but... We're just so close." He sighed.

Nuada waited until they came to a stop light before he reached over and pulled him into a kiss. Their lip met, sending an electric sizzle down John's spine. The agent shivered and felt the prince smirk in response. When he drew back, his eyes sparked at John warmly. 

"It will be all right. The ones you freed will protect each other." The elf stated confidently. His easy certainty was convincing and John felt the tension eke out of him.

"Yeah...yeah, you're right." He conceded. He looked down when he felt the cool touch of Nuada's hand folding over his one on the gear shift. "Are we gonna talk about this?" He looked back up at Nuada and raised an eyebrow. The prince's smirk grew and he pulled John into another kiss. As the slow burn of pleasure seeped into his brain, he lost the clear thread of thought he had been on. Nuada drew back, turning his head to look at the light. John noticed that the light had changed to green. He nodded mutely and started driving. 

Nuada's smirk grew. "I may have finally found an efficient way to silence your chatter."

\------------------------------------

They made their way from the BPRD to the building housing the door to the Toll Market. When they parked outside, there were several other cars that were haphazardly lined up along the building wall. There were two doors, one normal and the other a large metal garage door where deliveries could be made. John and Nuada slipped in through the unlocked smaller door and fast-walked to the back of the building to the hidden door inside. The other enhanced agents were there; John could sense them, hiding amongst the crates. As they got back to the door, the others began to creep out of their hiding places. 

"Is everyone here?" John asked, looking around and starting to count heads. 

"We're missing Jackson and Casey." Answered Marty, coming over to stand beside him. They both glanced for the building doors. John's mouth thinned into a tight frown. 

"They should be here shortly. We have to get inside. Manning saw us on the cameras he'd hidden in everybody's bedrooms." He hid a very catlike hiss at the idea, turning his head back to Marty. "They aren't far behind. Manning interrupted us when we got Jackson and Casey out, but we got away."

"Is that why they're naked?" Molly asked. John's head turned to her, then followed her pointing finger at the last two enhanced. He breathed a sigh of relief as the two strode quickly over to them, seemingly oblivious to their nudity.

"Yeah." John huffed a little laugh, then turned to Nuada. "Can you let everyone in and change the lock? I'll keep watch." He pulled the gun from his hip holster, a back-up as he'd accidentally left one in the building with the demon corpses earlier. Nuada gave him a solemn nod, making his way over to the lock. His quicky hands pulled the combination into place and the door opened with its usual slow ostentatiousness. 

There was a screech from the entrance, like metal on metal. John recognized the hum and rattle of a garage door opening. He grimaced as bright headlights suddenly beamed into the room. Several meters away, Jackson let out a low curse and grabbed Casey's hand before starting to run all out. They reached John just as a black van with tinted windows roared into the open space. A man was hanging out the passenger side window, firing shots at the retreating enhanced. John returned fire, his accuracy putting shots very close to the man, even though John didn't want to kill him.

When the last of the enhanced were through the door, John broke from his place alongside several large boxes and ran backwards towards the safety of the market. At a few feet, he turned on his heel and ran full pelt until a well placed shot sent him and his gun skittering to the floor.

"John!" Nuada shouted. He raced out in a blur before the agent could try to get to his feet, scooping him up and getting them inside. The door immediately started to close after them. There were muted _tat tat tat_ noises as bullets peppered the area, but the magical door would not be harmed by such a puny thing.

Not leaving any time to adjust to their new surroundings, Nuada began walking with John in his arms bridal style. The enhanced agents had enough sense to follow the prince, though some mumbled their discontent that he was suddenly in charge. 

Weaving through the stalls and the staring market-goers, Nuada took them to a place that was more of a building than a booth. He slipped in past the door, his eyes spotting a door and several tables. Obviously they had come to a bar of some kind. Nuada carried John over to a table and laid him down gently. The agent tried to sit up, but Nuada pinned him with a strong hand on his shoulder as he turned to the bartender. 

"Fetch me a healer." He commanded authoritatively. He looked back at John, who had relaxed back on the table with a huff of pain mixed with amusement. One of the smaller enhanced came up to Nuada's side. The prince remembered his name was Marty. 

"How bad is it?" Marty asked cautiously, watching as Nuada began to strip away the human's armor to get to the wound on his side. When he had finally rucked up the black, bloodied shirt to see the wound, the elf relaxed minutely. 

"It will not kill one of his strength, but it is not good." Nuada knew he had to stem the bleeding, so he placed a cool hand over the wound and pressed in gently. John's body almost arched off of the table at the pressure. 

"AAAH! SHIT!" He cursed, stopping just short of flinging an invective or two Nuada's way. He didn't care if it was helping. That fucking hurt!

"Is there anything we can do?" Asked Casey from a few feet away. The man had his arms crossed, uncomfortable with something, though apparently not with his nudity.

Nuada shook his head, his golden eyes scanning up and down John. "No. We need the healer before anything else." He reached up with his free hand to stroke John's hair soothingly. The agent turned his intelligent, knowing eyes up to meet the prince's.

"Are we safe?" The red headed woman by the woman questioned. "There's a crowd growing outside."

"You are in my domain and under my protection. They will respect that. Their curiosity, however, will only grow until we can get to the elven city." Nuada felt their eyes upon him, but said nothing more.

The door swung open to admit the bartender and an elven woman. Her hair was nearly down to the floor, tied behind her head, and she wore a thick belt with all manner of pouches and potions hanging from it. She bowed slightly to the prince and the bartender, a dryad, was quick to follow suit. 

"Do you require anything else, my lord?" The bartender asked. 

"Find some clothing for the two humans." He took a pouch from his pocket and tossed it to the man. "That should be enough to pay for anything you need." Nuada immediately turned his attention back to John as the healer came to the other side of the man. He pulled his hand away from the wound, feeling it tacky with the agent's blood. The woman peered down at the wound curiously. 

John was shivering slightly. It took Nuada a moment to discern why, thanks in part to his hand on the agent's head. He could read the thoughts bouncing around beneath the man's conscious thought. Memories flew around of being strapped to a metal table, filled with hundreds of needles, and the bigger needle that they used to take bone marrow out in a horrible bout of pain. Nuada sifted his fingers through John's hair and turned the man's head to look him in the eye. The agent shivered, differently this time, and calmed.

The healer used a few mumbled words of elven magic to pull the bullet out of the wound. John grimaced as it popped free. Then the healer selected one of the labeled potions from her belt and uncapped it. She poured it gently into the wound where it hissed and foamed. John grunted from the dull edge of pain it caused as it made all of his blood vessels clot. The woman then asked Nuada to help him sit up so that she could bandage him. 

"He should be fine, provided he does not use an excess of motion and keeps the wound clear of infection." She wiped the area clean with a cloth soaked in another of her potions, then placed a soft pad on the wound and wrapped his entire torso with soft, cloth bandages. "I do not know much about human infections, but I have heard that they can be deadly. I think you can prevent infection by keeping the wound clean and changing the bandages nightly."

"Thank you." Nuada slipped a hand into a pouch on his own belt and pulled out another, smaller bag of coins. He gave them to her, his expression grateful. She smiled at him knowingly and let herself out of the small building. 

"We should find a safe place to stay for the night." John said, trying to turn and get his feet on the ground. Nuada's hands on his shoulder and hip kept him firmly in place. Beside them, the bartender was returning through the door. The wood-skinned man was handing clothes and shoes to the naked agents, mumbling something about having to guess their sizes as they thanked him.

"We will need to return to the city, but you cannot walk that far." Nuada replied. 

"I can." John protested stubbornly.

"No. I will arrange a cart for you." Nuada squeezed his shoulder lightly. "Stay put." He ordered as he got up to go and talk to the bartender.

Marty came over to John, slipping into the chair that had been tucked up under one edge of the table. "Thanks. For saving us, I mean. I never would have thought we'd have this chance."

John slid over to the edge of the table and nudged another chair out from under it. He sank into it, gaining a little glare from Nuada that he saw out of the corner of his eye. He ignored the look and the prince continued talking to the bartender. "It's not the best situation, but it's an opportunity to make out own decisions for a change." His dry throat developed a little tickle and he coughed. An action which he deeply regretted when it made pain ripple through his entire body.

Nuada returned to his side, having finished his conversation or out of worry or both, and placed a comfortingly cool hand on John's shoulder. "We will have a goblin tech cart ready within the next half hour. The only thing left is deciding how to explain all of you to my people when we arrive." His sentence ended in a tone thick with amusement.

"You could say it's a new human outreach program. Oooo! Or that someone left us out in the cold and we need a new home and 'Please mom can we keep them?'" John snickered lightly, his smile a little twisted at the pain that the action caused. 

Nuada smiled and rolled his eyes at him. "I can see that your sarcasm is no worse for wear."

\--------------------------

The trip back to the elven city was a quiet one. Despite the lingering questions of the small group, the walked quietly through the halls until they reached the darkened city. Lucky for them, most people were asleep. Only a few elves were out of their homes to see the parade of humans following Prince Nuada into their city. One man was brave enough to come and ask his prince why there were humans following him and he recieved a soft explanation that the assembly was no longer truly human and that they were victims of the human race. That seemed to satisfy the man and they made their way to the expansive house at the back with little incident. 

Nuala met them at the door. She looked concerned, ushering them inside without hesitation. Nuada moved to the back of the group for John. He tried to pick the human up again, as he had done when he was first hurt, but John waved him off. He pushed himself slowly up to his feet, clinging to the cart he had been on in order to get himself to his feet. Despite trying to brush off the help, Nuada slipped into his side and wrapped an arm around his waist to help him hold his own weight. When they entered the door, Nuala turned sympathetic eyes on John. 

"Poor dear. We will set you up in a room down here so that you do not have to deal with the stairs." She said. Nuada looked at the other agents contemplatively, then looked at John. 

"Do you think you can make it to the living room? I will get everyone else settled, then I can come back for you." His tone was soft, but John got the sense that Nuada was very concerned about leaving him alone. He also suspected that the elf prince would never let Nuala show all of the agents to the rooms, because these were enhanced humans and they might be able to hurt his beloved sister. Nuada didn't trust the agents yet, just like they didn't really trust him.

"I can follow Nuala to my room while you do that. I don't need to wait for help." He saw disapproval skitter behind Nuada's eyes and forced a smile that was all teeth and arrogance. "Go on. I'm sure you'll come down to grouse at me when you're done." 

Nuada slowly released him and walked away, motioning for the enhanced agents to follow. Nuala stepped forwards, taking John gently by the arm and helping him towards the room she had mentioned. 

"You have had an interesting effect on my brother." The princess offered into the quiet air between them. John raised an eyebrow at her, making her smile widen. "He is unused to someone so willing to stand their ground with him. Many cave because of his position or his power. You are the first, not only to stand up to him, but to treat him with such an easy manner. It intrigues him." She stopped at a door and pushed it open. John saw a very lovely interior, with a soft bed that was calling his name, but he stayed where he was. His body protested, sending twinges of pain out from his wound. He ignored it, focusing on what Nuala was saying. 

"Is that why he kissed me? I'm the odd novelty? Is that it?" He asked. Nuala's expression softened, a portrait of kindness. 

"That is merely one facet of what has drawn him to you. I think he feels an echo of himself in you. He sees the pain you have endured and knows you will understand his own. I do not clearly see everything through out link, but I think there was something about your singing..." John blushed to the tips of his ears. So Nuada really had heard it. "I think you may have bared a little bit of your soul for Nuada to see. And he wants to keep what he saw safe."

"Nuala." The prince's voice cut in, clearly telling her to stop revealing things. She bowed her head and stepped back. 

"I apologize, brother. I merely wanted to help him understand." She curved herself in a slight bow and turned to leave. "Good night, both of you." She said before departing for somewhere else in the house. 

John turned his eyes to look into Nuada's fierce gaze. "You want to tell me any of what she said wasn't true. Because I'm not gonna take away your man-card for having feelings." He aimed for sarcastic, but had the feeling it came out much more plaintive. 

The prince didn't respond. He only took John's arm and led him gently into the room, pausing to shut the door once they were inside. He guided the agent to the bed and pushed him to sit down, then knelt by his knees to start unlacing his boots. "A bath is out of the question, with your wound. We will have to wipe you down with a wet cloth instead. Then you can get some rest."

John stopped him by reaching out to place a hand on the prince's cheek. Nuada stopped, looking up at him through the curtains of his long hair. John didn't know what exactly he was doing, but he hoped it was right. 

"Nuada, I don't know why we get along. We shouldn't. You're a prince and I'm just somebody's lab experiment, but I love being around you. It's fun and you make me feel safe, even though I feel like we might come to blows someday. I want to stay around you. I want to fight with you; flirt with you. I want you to kiss me again. I know I don't deserve any of it-"

He was silenced by cool lips slanting over his own. That soft pressure that sent lazy sparks bursting up the line of his spine to his chest was enough to drive a moan out of his lungs. It temporarily erased all of the pain from his bullet wound, leaving only Nuada. Then the prince pulled back, digging his hands into John's hair. 

"You talk too much." He whispered, pressing his forehead against the agent's and looking into his eyes. "I want you, John Myers. And I have every intention of keeping you."

"For how long?"

"For the rest of time." Nuada gave him a kiss that was all light, teasing pressure. John groaned. 

"You know we're rushing into this." He pointed out when his mouth was finally freed to speak. Nuada scowled at him. 

"I have seen into you, John Myers. I know you more deeply than any of your friends. I know who you are and I want you." He gripped the back of John's neck, a motion that always seemed to relax the agent. John smiled faintly. 

"Well okay then, Mister Bossy."

Nuada kissed him deeply and John was silent. 

\-------------------------------------

One year passed. John and Nuada grew only closer. They sparred regularly, after John's injury had healed, and they had discovered a mutual love for mechanics and reading. Some days they would just spend in bed together, reading whatever had recently caught their fancy. Other days were spent in bed with a different purpose. When they came together that way, it was passionate and deep. It was like nothing John had ever felt. Each day only seemed to underscore how much the choice to stay with Nuada had positively impacted his life. 

John also had his friends around him, easing the transition. He learned about the culture and the day to day workings of the city from Abe and Nuala. He learned to take care of children as Liz often pawned the twins off on their 'Uncle John'. He could even spend time with his fellow enhanced; most of whom had made places for themselves in the elven society. A few had returned to the outside world, changing their names and hiding themselves away from the BPRD, but most had stayed. Casey and Jackson had actually found themselves a nice place working for hire in the Troll Market. They were runners, bouncers, and even, occasionally, bartenders. 

Everything had turned out for the enhanced agents, eventually. John thought about his life, about what it had become, and decided that it was all worth it. Everything. Even the Antarctica Project. 

It was worth it when it gave him Nuada. 

 

/END.


End file.
